Ice tray



Nov. 14, 1933. I F. J. LEYNER ICE TRAY Filed Aug. 27, 1952 gi /I 4 3 use in freezing water to form ice cubes and this invention. After the mold has been formed Patented Nov. 14, 1933 1,935,405

UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICETRAY 1 Frank J. Leyner, Lafayette, 0010. R I

Application August 27, 1932. Serial No. 630,640

, 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-1085) This invention relates to improvements in 106 ing drawing in which the preferred embodiment trays of the type employed in connection with thereof has been illustrated, and in which: mechanical refrigerators for the .purpose of Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a, tray made in freezing ice cubes. accordance with this invention;

5 Since the adoption of mechanical refrigeration Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line on a large scale for household use, the necessity a portion of the y having been of having some convenient way for freezing ice removed so as to shorten the figure; and for use in preparing ice water and for other Fig. 3 is a sectiontaken on line 2-2, Fig. 1, purposes, has been recognized and practically andshows the bottom curved for the purpose of every mechanical refrigerator is providedwith releasing the ice Cubes. 65

some form of tray that can be filled with water In the drawi e ence nume 4 designates and inserted into a compartment in the freezing the bottom of the y Which is ed from a unit, where the water will be subjected to such thin sheet of metal, such as steel, which is readily low temperature that it will congeal. Since wabendable and which has sufiicient resiliency to ter wets the surface of metal, it will naturally return it tooriginal position when released. The 0 adhere to the metal when frozen and it is thereends of the bottom are Provided With handle p fore very difiicult to remove the ice from the tions 5 for convenience in inserting and removcompartments of metal trays. The difiiculty ing the tray and for handling it. Secured tothe just mentioned has been recognized and many upper surface of the bottom is a mold that is attempts have been made to overcome it by formed from rubber composition. In the exam- 75 changing the design of the trays or by making ple shown, the mold has twenty-four openings the trays of material whose surface is not apor compartments that are formed, eight in length preciably wetted by the water and to which, and three in width. The number of comparttherefore the ice does not readily adhere. ments, as well as their size, can be changed to 2 As an example of the class of trays just mensuit the conditions. The mold is provided with tioned, attention is called to a type of trays made' vertical sides and partitions which have been from rubber which can be employed in a manner designated by reference numeral 6. These partianalogous to the metal trays, but from which the tions may be of any suitable thickness and width ice cubes can be removed by bending the tray and the entire mold portion 'is formed in'one or distorting it in such a way that the sides of unit. The lower edgesof the partitions and sides the ice are loosened from the sides of the com- 6 are attached to the upper surface of the bottom partments. r v l by being vulcanized thereto as indicated at l It is the object of this invention to produce in Figs. 2 and 3. The method of vulcanizing ruba tray that shall be especially well adapted for her to metal is well known and forms no part of whose construction makes it possible to release and attached to the upper surface of the bottom, the ice cubes easily and quickly and without inthe assembly has the appearance shown in Fig. l jury to the tray. and a section like that shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

This invention, briefly described, consists of When ice is to be frozen, the several compart-' 40 a tray having a bottom formed from a thin, rements are filled with water and the tray is then silient, flexible sheet of metal, to one surface of introduced into an openingprovided therefor in which is secured by vulcanization, a mold havthe freezing unit of the refrigerator. After the F ing a plurality of compartments whose sides are water has frozen, the tray can be removed and formed from rubber and which are extensible to the bottom bent upwardly as shown in Fig. 3.

some extent. Since the ice cubes will not bend, it is apparent 100 In normal position the bottom of the tray is that there will be a force produced that tends to straight so as to form a plain surface, but after separate the bottoms of the ice cubes from the the ice has been formedythe tray can be bent, upper surface of the metal bottom, thereby reinto such shape that the bottom is convex upleasing the ice. 'The upward arching of the tray wardly, thereby releasing the ice cubes from the also tends to lengthen the sides of the compartuppersurface of the bottom and from the sides ments and thereby producing forces that separate of the mold. p the ice from the sides of the compartments. After Having thus briefly described the invention, the the ice has been released, the tray will return to same will now be described in detail, and for this its original position by simply releasing the force purpose reference will be had to the accompanythat is used for bending the same.

I am of course aware that the trays made en tirely of rubber can be bent, but with such trays there is practically no force produced that tends to-sepaiate the bottoms of the ice cubes from the upper surface of the bottom of the compartments, because the entire tray is made of flexible rubber and therefore the flexure will take place at points between the ice cubes, whereas when a metal bottom is employed, a gradual curvature like that shown in Fig. 3 will tend to separate the of the tray.

With a tray like that shown and described and which has a sheet metal bottom that is a very good conductor of heat, it is apparent that as soon as the tray is removed from the refrigerator into a room of normal temperature, the heat surrounding the tray willpass through the bottom very quickly and serve to loosen the ice from the upper surface of the bottom. If the ice must be removed very quickly, its removal can be faciliinstance tated by dipping the bottom of the tray into warm water, or holding it, for a few seconds, over the flame of a gas stove, or in other ways subjecting it to a high. degree of heat for a short period,

as by this means the bond between the ice and the metal is entirely dissolved, thereby facilitating the release of the ice. Although the heating of the bottom is sometimes desirable, it is not absolutely necessary, as the mechanical force ap plied by the bending of the bottom is sumcient to release the ice cubes. When the term cube is employed, it/is intended to cover any ordinary shape of ice, whether it is absolutely cubical or rectangular in shape.

What I claim is:

1. A tray for use in freezing water to form ice cubes of predetermined size and shape comprising, a fiexiblemetal plate forming a. bottom, and a mold having a plurality of openings whose walls are formed from rubber, one side of the mold being united with the metal bottom by a water tight joint. l

2. A tray for use in freezing water to form ice cubes of predetermined size and shape, comprising a multiple compartment mold whose sides and partition walls are formed from rubber and whose bottom is formed entirely from a piece of resilient bendable sheet metal to one surface of which the rubber sides are vulcanized.

FRANK J. 

